JP2007276929A - Carrying device, carrying method, recording device and carrying/recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of improving carrying accuracy of carried objects when sucking and carrying the carried objects. <P>SOLUTION: This technique comprises a carrying means 212 for carrying paper; a platen 214 and a paper guide 215 which are provided with carrying faces for carrying paper and with suction holes 214d, 215e, 215f for sucking paper on the carrying faces; a fan 217 for sucking back face sides of the carrying faces of the platen 214 and the paper guide 215; and a suction control part 201e of a control part 200 for controlling suction force by the fan 217 based on a positional relationship between paper and the suction holes 214d, 215e, 215f. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveying apparatus and a conveying method for conveying an object to be conveyed, and a recording apparatus and a conveying recording method for conveying a recording medium and recording on the recording medium.

  A large-sized printer as an example of a recording apparatus includes a paper feeding unit that supplies a roll paper for printing, which is a conveyance object and a recording medium, a printing unit that prints information on the fed roll paper, The paper discharge unit for discharging the rolled paper is arranged in this order from the top. When using such a printer, the user stores the roll paper in the paper feed unit and pulls out the leading end of the roll paper. Then, the leading end of the roll paper is passed over a flat paper feed guide that acts as a paper conveyance surface, and is sandwiched between a paper feed roller and a driven roller to activate the printer.

Thereafter, the printer rotates the paper feed roller to feed the roll paper onto a flat platen that acts as a paper conveyance guide surface, and ejects ink droplets from the nozzle openings of the print head to record an image or the like on the roll paper. . Then, the paper discharge roller is rotated to discharge the roll paper to the outside through a flat paper discharge guide that acts as a paper transport surface.
In general, paper has a property of being easily warped due to moisture absorption or the like. For example, a large roll paper such as JIS standard A0 size or JIS standard B0 size tends to warp, so that it tends to be lifted on the platen of the printing section, and the printing accuracy may not be maintained. In view of this, the suction means is provided to suck the roll paper onto the sheet conveying surface, thereby preventing the sheet from being lifted on the platen and ensuring the printing accuracy.

In a printer having such a suction unit, an invention for efficiently using the suction capability of a fan by opening and closing the suction port is known (see Patent Document 1). An invention for allowing a user to adjust the degree of suction is also known (see Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-205855 A JP 2002-283557 A

In recent years, recording apparatuses have been required to record on a recording medium with high accuracy. For this reason, in a recording apparatus, it has become essential to convey a recording medium with high accuracy.
In such a situation, it is necessary to consider the influence of suction by the suction means during transport.
The present invention has been made in view of the various problems as described above, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of improving the conveyance accuracy of the object to be conveyed when the object to be conveyed is conveyed while being sucked. There is to do. Moreover, the objective is to provide the technique which can record on a recording medium with high precision.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when the suction by the suction means is constant, the load during transport of the transported object depends on the positional relationship between the transported object and the suction hole for sucking the transported object. The conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention has a conveying unit that conveys the object to be conveyed and a conveying surface that conveys the object to be conveyed. The suction force by the suction means based on the positional relationship between the transport surface portion in which the suction holes for sucking the object to be transported are formed, the suction means for sucking from the back side of the transport surface of the transport surface portion, and the transport object and the suction holes. Suction control means for controlling

  According to such a configuration, the suction force can be appropriately controlled based on the positional relationship between the conveyed object and the suction hole. Therefore, for example, the object to be conveyed is in a positional relationship where the object to be conveyed is not opposed to the suction holes, and the object to be conveyed is in a positional relationship where the object to be conveyed is opposed to relatively few suction holes. The suction force can be appropriately controlled depending on the facing positional relationship. For this reason, the load at the time of conveyance added to a to-be-conveyed object can be adjusted appropriately, and the conveyance precision of a to-be-conveyed object can be improved.

  The transport apparatus further includes a front end position detecting unit that detects a front end position of the transported object, and the suction control unit controls the suction force by the suction unit based on the front end position of the transported object. May be. According to such a configuration, the positional relationship with the suction hole can be grasped based on the tip position of the conveyed object, and the suction force can be appropriately controlled. In the transport apparatus, the suction control unit may change the suction force by the suction unit stepwise based on the tip position. According to such a configuration, since the control is performed so that the change of the suction force is changed stepwise, the processing amount in the control can be reduced.

  In the transport apparatus, the suction control unit may continuously change the suction force by the suction unit based on the tip position. According to such a configuration, since the suction force is controlled to be continuously changed, the load applied to the object to be conveyed can be adjusted with higher accuracy, so that the object to be conveyed can be conveyed with higher accuracy.

  In the transport apparatus, the suction control unit may change the suction force by the suction unit according to the ratio of the suction holes facing the object to be transported. With such a configuration, it is possible to appropriately change the suction force according to the ratio of the suction holes facing the conveyed object. In the transport apparatus, the suction control unit may control so that the suction force by the suction unit becomes weaker as the ratio of the suction hole facing the transported object increases. According to such a configuration, it is possible to make the load applied to the conveyed object substantially constant, and to reduce the change in the load. For this reason, a to-be-conveyed object can be conveyed now with high precision.

Moreover, in the said conveying apparatus, you may make it the attraction | suction control means vary the attraction | suction force by an attraction | suction means based on the length of the direction perpendicular | vertical to the conveyance direction of a to-be-conveyed object. According to such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the difference in load applied to the conveyed object due to the length in the direction perpendicular to the conveyed direction of the conveyed object.
Moreover, in the said conveying apparatus, you may make it the attraction | suction control means vary the attraction | suction force by an attraction | suction means according to the kind of to-be-conveyed object. According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately adjust the suction force according to the type of the object to be transported, and it is possible to perform transport suitable for the type of the object to be transported.
In the transport apparatus, the suction control unit may change the suction force by the suction unit stepwise based on a change in pressure generated by the suction. According to such a configuration, the positional relationship between the object to be conveyed and the suction hole can be grasped by a pressure change, and the object to be conveyed can be appropriately conveyed by appropriately adjusting the suction force.

In order to achieve the above object, a transport method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transport method for transporting an object to be transported by a transport device, the transport device including a transport means for transporting the transport object, Having a transport surface for transporting a transported object, having a transport surface part in which a suction hole for sucking a transported object on the transport surface is formed, and a suction means for sucking from the back side of the transport surface of the transport surface part, A transporting step of transporting the object to be transported by the transporting means; and a suction control step of controlling a suction force by suction by the suctioning means based on a positional relationship between the transported object and the suction hole. Note that the steps may be executed simultaneously in parallel, and may be executed in any order, not limited to the order described above, as long as there is no time restriction.
According to this method, the suction force can be appropriately controlled based on the positional relationship between the conveyed object and the suction hole. For this reason, the conveyance load given to a to-be-conveyed object can be adjusted appropriately, and the conveyance precision of a to-be-conveyed object can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a recording apparatus that conveys a recording medium and records the recording medium, and has a conveyance surface that conveys the recording medium. A conveyance surface portion in which suction holes for sucking the recording medium on the conveyance surface are formed, a conveyance means for conveying the recording medium on the conveyance surface, a suction means for sucking the conveyance surface portion from the back surface side of the conveyance surface, and a recording medium and suction It has suction control means for controlling the suction force by the suction means based on the positional relationship with the holes, and recording means for recording on the recording medium transported on the transport surface.
According to such a configuration, the suction force can be appropriately controlled based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the suction holes. For this reason, the conveyance load given to a recording medium can be adjusted appropriately, and the conveyance accuracy of a recording medium can be improved. In addition, since the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium can be improved in this way, the recording accuracy to the recording medium can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transport recording method in which a recording medium is transported by a recording apparatus and recording is performed on the recording medium, and the recording apparatus transports the recording medium. A conveying means for conveying the recording medium, a conveying surface portion having a suction surface for sucking an object to be conveyed on the conveying surface, and a suction means for sucking from the back side of the conveying surface of the conveying surface portion. And a conveying step for conveying the recording medium by the conveying means, a suction control step for controlling the suction force by the suction means based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the suction holes, and recording on the recording medium to be conveyed. The step of performing. Note that the steps may be executed simultaneously in parallel, and may be executed in any order, not limited to the order described above, as long as there is no time restriction.
According to this method, the suction force can be appropriately controlled based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the suction holes. For this reason, the conveyance load given to a recording medium can be adjusted appropriately, and the conveyance accuracy of a recording medium can be improved. In addition, since the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium can be improved in this way, the recording accuracy to the recording medium can be improved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention. Absent.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of an ink jet printer that is an example of a recording apparatus in which a conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. FIG. 2 is an internal view of a main part of the ink jet printer. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a structure. An ink jet printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a large-sized printer capable of recording even on a relatively large size recording paper (conveyed object, recording medium) such as JIS standard A1 size or JIS standard B1 size. The recording / conveying unit 120, the paper discharge unit 130, and the leg unit 140 as an example of the paper feeding unit 110, the conveying unit, and the recording unit are arranged in this order from the top.

  That is, the roll paper fed from the paper feeding unit 110 arranged at the uppermost part is conveyed obliquely downward between the recording / conveying unit 120 and the paper discharging unit 130 which are inclined at the lower part. Thus, the sheet is discharged to a sheet receiving tray (not shown) disposed between the leg portions 140 disposed at the bottom. The recording / conveying unit 120 and the paper discharge unit 130 are integrated as a main body, and are configured to be separable from the paper feeding unit 110 and the leg unit 140, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feeding unit 110 is provided so as to protrude to the upper rear of the main bodies 120 and 130. As shown in FIG. 2, a roll paper holder 111 on which one roll paper can be set is provided inside the paper supply unit 110, and the front surface of the paper supply unit 110 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown, a flip-up roll paper cover 112 that can be opened and closed is attached to cover the roll paper holder 111.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the roll paper holder 111 is attached to the spindle 113 for holding the roll paper and a pair of flange-shaped roll paper pressers 114 and the inner surfaces of both side walls of the paper feeding unit 110. A pair of spindle receivers 115 that can be suspended are provided. The spindle 113 is placed on the spindle receiver 115 and is rotatably supported by the spindle 113 with the roll paper inserted in the center and sandwiched between the roll paper pressers 114. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roll paper cover 112 is rotatably supported as a whole, and is opened and closed when the user holds the lower part and lifts or pushes it down.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording / conveying unit 120 is a flexible flat that electrically connects the carriage 122 on which the recording head 121 is mounted, and the control unit 200 (see FIG. 3) for executing recording. A cable (hereinafter referred to as FFC) 123, an ink tube 124 that connects the recording head 121 and the ink cartridge 10 containing ink are provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an upper lid 125 and a front lid 126 are attached to the upper surface and the front surface of the recording unit 120 so as to cover the recording head 121, the carriage 122, and the like.

  The recording head 121 includes a black ink recording head that discharges black ink, and a plurality of color ink recording heads that discharge ink of each color such as light yellow, yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta, and magenta. . The recording head 121 is provided with a pressure generation chamber and a nozzle opening connected to the pressure generation chamber. The size of the recording head 121 is controlled from the nozzle opening toward the roll paper by storing ink in the pressure generation chamber and pressurizing it with a predetermined pressure. Ink droplets are discharged.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 122 is suspended from a rail 127 provided in the main scanning direction via a roller and connected to the carriage belt 128. The carriage belt 128 is operated by a carriage driving device (not shown). Then, it is accompanied by the movement of the carriage belt 128 and is guided by the rail 127 so as to reciprocate.
The carriage 122 is provided with a sensor 122a (see FIG. 3) that detects the leading edge of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 110 and detects the width of the fed sheet.

  One end of the FFC 123 is connected to the connector of the control unit 200, and the other end is connected to the connector of the recording head 121 and the connector of the sensor 122a so that the recording signal is sent from the control unit 200 to the recording head 121. The detection signal of the sensor 122a is sent to the control unit 200. The ink tubes 124 are provided for the inks of the respective colors, and one end of each ink tube is connected to the corresponding ink cartridge 10 via an ink pressurizing supply unit (not shown), and the other end of each color recording head. 121 is connected. The ink tube 124 is configured to send ink of each color pressurized by the ink pressure supply means from the ink cartridge 10 to the recording head 121.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front lid 126 is rotatably supported at the lower part, and is opened and closed by the user pushing down or pushing up the upper part. The user can greatly open the recording unit 120 by opening the front lid 126, so that maintenance work of the recording head 121, the carriage 122, and the like can be easily performed.

Here, details of the recording / conveying unit 120 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing details of the recording / conveying unit 120, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing details of main parts thereof. The recording / conveying unit 120 is disposed so as to face a flat sheet feeding guide 211 extending from the sheet feeding unit 110, a contact-separable paper feed roller 212 and a driven roller 213, and a recording head 121 mounted on the carriage 122. A flat platen 214, a paper guide 215 disposed on the downstream side of the platen 214, and a sheet suction unit 216 for adsorbing the roll paper on the platen 214 and the paper guide 215. Here, in the present embodiment, the platen 214 and the paper guide 215 correspond to the conveyance surface portion. A cutter 129 for cutting the roll paper that has been recorded is attached to the carriage 122. Further, the carriage 122 is provided with a sensor 122a so as to irradiate light on the side where the paper is conveyed and to receive light from the side where the paper is conveyed.

  The paper feed roller 212 is formed as one long roller, and the peripheral surface portion slightly larger than the maximum recordable paper width is coated with ceramic powder or the like. Thereby, since the slip at the time of paper feeding can be prevented, roll paper can be sent out with high precision. Although not shown in the drawing, both ends of the paper feed roller 212 are axially supported by the side frame via bearings, and are driven to rotate forward and backward by a driving force transmitted from the paper feed motor via a pulley and a belt. It has become. The paper feed roller 212 rotates in accordance with a control amount by the control unit 200.

  The driven roller 213 is formed as a plurality of short rollers, and is pivotally supported by a plurality of driven roller support members 213 a arranged in parallel in the axial direction above the paper feed roller 212. The driven roller 213 is pressed against the paper feed roller 212 by a biasing member 213b such as a spring attached to the driven roller support member 213a, and rotates forward and backward following the forward / reverse rotation drive of the paper feed roller 212. It is supposed to be. As a result, the roll paper can be firmly pressed from both sides and sent out, so that it can be conveyed with high accuracy and recording can be performed with high accuracy.

  The platen 214 is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate having a length slightly larger than the maximum recordable paper width, and is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the conveyance downstream side of the paper feed roller 212. A plurality of rectangular suction grooves 214b are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction on a platen surface 214a which is an example of a conveying surface of the platen 214. The suction groove 214b is formed in an inverted quadrangular frustum that is surrounded by inclined side walls on the four sides of the flat bottom surface. A plurality of suction holes 214d are formed through the bottom surface of each suction groove 214b and the top surface of the partition wall 214c of each suction groove 214b. In the present embodiment, the plurality of suction holes 214d are sub-scanned with the first suction hole array a, the second suction hole array b, and the third suction hole array c that are configured by a plurality of suction holes 214d arranged in the main scanning direction. It is provided so that it may line up in the direction at intervals.

Further, a rectangular ink discarding groove hole 214e is formed at the position of the platen surface 214a corresponding to the side edge of the roll paper in the platen 214. The ink discarding groove hole 214e receives and discharges ink particles that have come off the edge of the roll paper when the roll paper is recorded without a border.
The paper guide 215 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape having a length slightly larger than the maximum recordable paper width, and is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the transport downstream side of the platen 214. A cutter step 215b extending substantially in the center in the main scanning direction is formed on the paper guide surface 215a, which is an example of the conveyance surface of the paper guide 215. The cutter step 215b is formed to have a size that allows the cutting edge of the cutter 129 protruding from the lower surface of the roll paper to enter so that the cutter 129 does not damage the paper guide 215 when the roll 129 cuts the roll paper in the width direction. Yes. As a result, the recorded portion and the unrecorded portion of the roll paper can be reliably separated.

  Furthermore, a plurality of rail-like ribs 215c and 215d are disposed on the paper guide surface 215a. The ribs 215c and 215d are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction, and the ribs 215c and 215d are arranged in a straight line in the sub-scanning direction. The paper guide surface 215a between the ribs 215c and 215d is provided with a plurality of penetrating suction holes 215e and 215f. In the present embodiment, the plurality of suction holes 215e and 215f include the fourth suction hole array d, the fifth suction hole array e, and the sixth suction hole array f that are configured by a plurality of suction holes arranged in the main scanning direction. They are arranged so as to be arranged at intervals in the scanning direction.

  The sheet suction unit 216 includes a pressure chamber 216a disposed under the platen 214 and the paper guide 215 (the back side of the conveying surface), and a fan 217 as an example of a suction unit disposed under the pressure chamber 216a. I have. The pressure chamber 216a is formed in a box shape in which a part of the upper surface is opened, the platen 214 and the paper guide 215 are attached to the open part of the upper surface, and the fan 217 is attached to the lower part.

  By rotating the fan 217 of the paper suction unit 216, air is sucked into the pressure chamber 216a from the suction holes 214d, 215e, and 215f formed in the platen 214 and the paper guide 215, and passes through the fan 217 to reach the pressure chamber 216a. Exhausted outside. Therefore, when roll paper is supplied to the upper surface of the platen 214 and the paper guide 215, negative pressure is generated on the lower surface side of the roll paper. Therefore, the roll paper is attracted to the upper surface of the platen 214 and the paper guide 215 to The paper posture can be stabilized by completely preventing the lifting, and the recording accuracy can be reliably maintained with high accuracy. The rotation of the fan 217 is controlled by the control unit 200.

  The cutter 129 is arranged so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction and movable in the main scanning direction so that the cutting edge faces downward. The cutter 129 is moved up and down by, for example, a solenoid and moved in the main scanning direction together with the carriage 122. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a means for moving the cutter 129, so that space can be saved and cost can be reduced. The cutter 129 may be separated from the carriage 122 and moved in the main scanning direction by a unique belt mechanism, a motor, or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper discharge unit 130 includes a paper discharge guide 131 that forms part of a path for transporting roll paper in the sub-scanning direction, and paper discharge (not shown) that transports roll paper in the sub-scanning direction. It has a roller. The paper discharge guide 131 is formed as a flat inclined surface protruding to the front surface side, and can smoothly guide the roll paper conveyed from above downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leg portion 140 includes two support columns 142 each having a moving roller 141, and a reinforcing bar 143 spanned between the support columns 142. . The paper feeding unit 110 and the main bodies 120 and 130 are placed on the support pillar 142 and fixed with screws. Since the moving roller 141 is disposed on the support column 142, the heavy paper feeder 110 and the main bodies 120 and 130 can be smoothly moved to desired positions and installed. . A paper discharge receiving device that receives roll paper discharged from the paper discharge unit 130 can be installed between the support pillars 142 of the leg 140.

  Further, on the left side when viewed from the front side of the main bodies 120 and 130, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink cartridge holder having a holder main body 151 for storing and holding the ink cartridges 10 of each color and a cover 152 covering the front surface thereof. 150 is arranged. The lower part of the cover 152 is rotatably supported with respect to the holder main body 151, and the ink cartridge holder 150 is opened and closed when the user holds down the upper part and pushes it down or pushes it up. The storage section provided in the holder main body 151 allows the ink cartridges 10 in total of seven colors of black, light yellow, yellow, light cyan, cyan, light magenta, and magenta to be individually drawn out and inserted in order from the left side in the drawing. It is partitioned.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operation panel 160 for a user to operate recording control and the like is disposed on the upper right side as viewed from the front side of the main bodies 120 and 130. The operation panel 160 is provided with a liquid crystal screen and various buttons so that the user can operate the buttons while checking the liquid crystal screen.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a control unit of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In the control unit 200, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a communication interface unit (communication I / F unit) 202, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 203, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 204, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable). A Programmable Read-Only Memory) 205 and a mechanism control unit 206 are connected via a bus 207.
The communication I / F unit 202 can be connected to an external device via, for example, a USB cable, and mediates information exchange with the external device. For example, image data of an image to be recorded by the printer 100 transmitted from a PC (personal computer) is mediated.

The ROM 203 stores a program such as a boot program, a program such as a fan control process, which will be described later, information related to the paper front end position and the rotational speed of the fan at that time, and the like.
The RAM 204 is used as an area for storing programs and data, or as a work area for storing data used for processing by the CPU 201.
The EEPROM 205 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and stores various types of information that need to be stored even when the printer 100 is not turned on. For example, the EEPROM 205 stores the type of roll paper loaded in the printer 100.
The mechanism control unit 206 controls the paper feeding unit 110, the recording / conveying unit 120, the fan 217, and the like according to control by the CPU 201.

  The CPU 201 controls operations of the units 202 to 206. Further, the CPU 201 reads the program stored in the ROM 203 into the RAM 204 and executes it, thereby executing a leading edge determination unit 201a, a paper width detection unit 201b, a leading edge position detection unit 201c as an example of a leading edge position detection unit, and a control. The value determination unit 201d and a suction control unit 201e as an example of a suction control unit are configured to execute various processes.

  The leading edge determination unit 201a receives data corresponding to the electrical signal output from the sensor 122a via the mechanism control unit 206, determines whether or not the leading edge of the sheet has reached the conveyance path, and determines that the leading edge has arrived. If it is determined, the fact is notified to the paper width detecting unit 201b and the leading end position detecting unit 201c.

  When the paper width detection unit 201b receives a notification that the leading edge has arrived from the leading edge determination unit 201a, the mechanism control unit 206 moves the carriage 122 in the main scanning direction, and responds to the electrical signal from the sensor 122a during that time. Data is received from the mechanism control unit 206, based on the data, the length of the paper in the main scanning direction (paper width) is detected, and the result is notified to the control value determination unit 201d.

  The leading edge position detection unit 201c detects the length from a predetermined reference position to the leading edge position of the paper (paper leading edge position). In the present embodiment, when the front end position detection unit 201c receives a notification that the front end has arrived from the front end determination unit 201a, the front end position detection unit 201c grasps the rotation amount of the paper feed roller 212 from that time, that is, the paper feed amount. The length to the paper front end position is detected and notified to the control value determining unit 201d.

The control value determination unit 201d determines a control value for the rotational speed of the fan 217 based on the length to the paper front end position notified to the front end position detection unit 201c, and stores the determined control value for the rotational speed in the RAM 204. To do. In the present embodiment, the control value of the rotational speed of the fan determined based on the paper leading edge position is as follows.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between the front end position of the sheet and the rotational speed of the fan. Here, the position ae indicates a position where all of the opening portions of the suction holes of the first suction hole row a face the sheet, and the position be indicates the opening portion of the suction holes of the second suction hole row b. The position where all of the suction holes in the third suction hole row c are opposed to the sheet is indicated, and the position de is the fourth suction position. A position where all of the opening portions of the suction holes of the hole row d are opposed to the sheet is indicated, and a position ee is a position where all of the opening portions of the suction holes of the fifth suction hole row e are opposed to the sheet. The position fe indicates a position where all of the opening portions of the suction holes of the sixth suction hole row f face the sheet. Further, the paper A indicates a type of paper having higher rigidity than the paper B, and the width X indicates that it is shorter than the width Y.

  As shown in the figure, for the same type of paper having the same width, each time the front end position of the paper is conveyed to position ae, position be, position ce, position de, position ee, and position fe, The rotation speed is slow. That is, the higher the ratio of the suction holes opposed to the sheet to the total suction holes, the slower the rotational speed of the fan. Thus, the higher the suction hole ratio is, the slower the rotation speed of the fan (that is, the weakening the suction force) is because the number of suction holes facing the paper increases and the load on the paper during conveyance increases. This is to prevent it from becoming. In this way, by reducing the rotation speed, the load on the paper during conveyance can be made substantially constant or the change in the load can be suppressed, the paper can be conveyed with high accuracy, and recording on the paper with high accuracy is possible. It can be performed.

  Also, with the same type of paper having different widths, the shorter the width, the faster the fan rotation speed. Also, with different papers, a fan with higher rigidity has a higher rotational speed. In the present embodiment, for each thickness of each sheet shown in FIG. 6, a table in which the length to the sheet front end position and the rotation speed of the fan are associated with each other is stored in the ROM 203, and the control value determining unit 201d The table to be used is specified by the paper type set in the EEPROM 205 and the paper width notified from the paper width detection unit 201b, and the fan 217 corresponding to the length to the paper front end position notified to the front end position detection unit 201c. Is obtained from the identified table.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the suction control unit 201 e controls the rotation of the fan 217 via the mechanism control unit 206 based on the control value of the rotation speed of the fan 217 determined by the control value determination unit 201 d.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the fan control process of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. This fan control process is executed, for example, after a new roll paper is mounted on the printer 100, and is executed in parallel with the process for carrying the roll paper and the process for recording on the roll paper. In the fan control process, the leading edge determination unit 201a receives data corresponding to the electrical signal output from the sensor 122a via the mechanism control unit 206, and determines whether or not the leading edge of the sheet has reached the conveyance path. (Step S1) If it is determined that the leading edge has not reached, the step S1 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the leading edge has arrived, the paper width detection unit 201b and the leading edge position detection unit 201c are notified to that effect. Notify

When the paper width detection unit 201b receives a notification that the leading edge has arrived from the leading edge determination unit 201a, the mechanism control unit 206 moves the carriage 122 in the main scanning direction, and an electric signal from the sensor 122a during that time. Is received from the mechanism control unit 206, the width of the paper is detected based on the data, and the result is notified to the control value determination unit 201d (step S2).
Next, when receiving a notification that the leading edge has arrived from the leading edge determination unit 201a, the leading edge position detection unit 201c grasps the paper feeding amount by the paper feeding roller 212 from that time, thereby determining the length to the paper leading edge position. Calculate and notify the control value determination unit 201d (step S3).

  Next, the control value determination unit 201d determines the fan type based on the paper type set in the EEPROM 205, the paper width notified from the paper width detection unit 201b, and the length to the paper front end position notified to the front end position detection unit 201c. The control value of the rotational speed 217 is determined (step S5), and the determined control value is stored in the RAM 204 (step S6). When the control value is stored in the RAM 204 in this way, the suction control unit 201e controls the rotation of the fan 217 via the mechanism control unit 206 based on the control value. As a result, the rotation of the fan 217 can be appropriately controlled according to the positional relationship between the front end position of the sheet and the suction hole. Then, the processing steps S3 to S6 are repeatedly executed until it is detected that the leading end position of the sheet passes through a predetermined position, that is, a position where the sheet is opposed to all the suction holes (step S7).

Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various other modes.
For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotational speed of the fan is changed stepwise according to the paper leading edge position. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the paper leading edge position. Accordingly, the rotational speed of the fan may be continuously changed.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of the correspondence relationship between the paper front end position and the rotational speed of the fan.
Here, the position as indicates a position where the opening portion of the suction hole of the first suction hole row a starts to face the sheet, and the position bs indicates the opening portion of the suction hole of the second suction hole row b and the sheet. A position cs indicates a position where the opening portion of the suction hole of the third suction hole row c and the sheet start to face each other, and a position ds indicates an opening portion of the suction hole of the fourth suction hole row d. The position es indicates the position where the opening portion of the suction hole of the fifth suction hole row e and the paper start to face each other, and the position fs indicates the suction of the sixth suction hole row f. The position where the opening portion of the hole and the paper start to face each other is shown.

  As shown in the figure, in the same type of paper having the same width, the paper front end position is from position as to position ae, from position bs to position be, from position cs to position ce, position ds. From the position to the position de, from the position es to the position ee, and from the position position fs to fe, the rotational speed of the fan continuously decreases. In other words, the rotation speed of the fan gradually decreases from the time when the suction hole starts to face the paper until the whole surface faces. As described above, when the area facing each suction hole is changed, the rotational speed of the fan is gradually slowed down because the area of the suction hole facing the sheet increases and the load on the sheet conveyance is increased. This is to prevent it from becoming large. As described above, by reducing the rotation speed, the load in conveying the sheet can be made substantially constant or the change in the load can be suppressed, and the sheet can be conveyed with high accuracy and recording can be performed with high accuracy.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the suction hole was provided in both the platen 214 and the paper guide 215, this invention is not restricted to this, You may make it provide in any one.
In the above embodiment, six suction hole rows are provided in the sub-scanning direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be one row, or two or more rows. Good.
In the above embodiment, the rotational speed of the fan 217 is controlled. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a plurality of fans 217 are provided, the number of operating fans is controlled. It may be.

In the above embodiment, suction is performed by the fan 217. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other suction means for performing suction by a configuration other than the fan may be used.
In the above embodiment, the fan control value corresponding to the tip position is obtained by searching the table. However, the present invention is not limited to this and corresponds to the tip position. A process capable of acquiring the control value may be prepared, and the corresponding control value may be acquired by executing the process.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the positional relationship between the paper and the suction hole is grasped by detecting the front end position of the paper, and the suction means is controlled, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, A sensor for observing the suction hole may be provided to directly detect whether or not the paper is positioned on the suction hole, and based on this, the suction means may be controlled. It is only necessary that the positional relationship can be grasped and the suction means can be controlled accordingly.
Further, in the above embodiment, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the chamber is provided in the pressure chamber 216a, the change in pressure is detected depending on the leading end position of the paper, and the suction means is controlled based on the pressure change. The suction force may be changed stepwise.
In the above embodiment, the case where the roll paper is conveyed has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the case where, for example, a cut sheet is conveyed.

In the above-described embodiment, the conveyance device that conveys the recording medium as an example of the object to be conveyed has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, conveyance that conveys the object to be conveyed other than the recording medium. It can also be applied to devices.
In the above-described embodiment, the recording apparatus that ejects ink has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a recording apparatus that ejects a color material used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an organic EL display The present invention can also be applied to a recording apparatus that discharges an electrode material (conductive paste) used for electrode formation such as a surface-emitting display (FED), or a recording apparatus that discharges a bioorganic material used for biochip manufacturing.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a main part of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a recording / conveying unit of the printer according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating details of a main part of a recording / conveying unit of the printer according to the embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram of the control part of the printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a paper front end position and a rotation speed of a fan. 6 is a flowchart of fan control processing for a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the correspondence relationship between the paper front end position and the rotation speed of the fan.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ink cartridge, 100 Inkjet printer, 110 Paper feed part, 111 Roll paper holder, 112 Roll paper cover, 113 Spindle, 114 Roll paper holder, 115 Spindle receiver, 120 Recording / conveyance part, 121 Recording head, 122 Carriage, 122a Sensor, 123 FFC, 124 Ink tube, 125 Top cover, 126 Front cover, 127 Rail, 128 Carriage belt, 129 Cutter, 130 Paper discharge part, 131 Paper discharge guide, 140 Leg part, 141 Roller, 142 Support pillar, 143 Reinforcing bar , 150 Ink cartridge holder, 151 Holder main body, 152 cover, 200 control unit, 201 CPU, 201a tip determination unit, 201b paper width detection unit, 201c tip position detection unit, 201d control value determination unit 201e Suction control unit, 202 Communication I / F, 203 ROM, 204 RAM, 205 EEPROM, 206 Mechanism control unit, 207 Bus, 211 Paper feed guide, 212 Paper feed roller, 213 Driven roller, 214 Platen, 214d Suction hole, 215 Paper guide, 215e suction hole, 215f suction hole, 216 paper suction part, 217 fan.

Claims (12)

Transport means for transporting the object to be transported;
A transport surface portion having a transport surface for transporting the transported object, and a transport surface portion formed with suction holes for sucking the transported object on the transport surface;
Suction means for sucking from the back side of the transport surface of the transport surface portion;
And a suction control unit configured to control a suction force by the suction unit based on a positional relationship between the object to be transported and the suction hole. A tip position detecting means for detecting a tip position of the object to be conveyed;
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction control unit controls a suction force by the suction unit based on the tip position of the object to be transported.   The transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction control unit changes the suction force by the suction unit in a stepwise manner based on the tip position.   The transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction control unit continuously changes the suction force by the suction unit based on the tip position.   The said suction control means changes the suction force by the said suction means according to the ratio of the said suction hole which opposes the said to-be-conveyed object, The Claim 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Transport device.   The transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the suction control unit performs control so as to weaken a suction force by the suction unit as a ratio of the suction hole facing the object to be transported increases.   The suction control means varies the suction force by the suction means based on the length in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the object to be transported. The conveying apparatus as described in.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction control unit varies a suction force by the suction unit according to a type of the object to be transported.   The transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction control unit changes the suction force by the suction unit in a stepwise manner based on a change in pressure generated by the suction. A transport method for transporting an object to be transported by a transport device,
The transfer device
Conveying means for conveying the object to be conveyed;
A transport surface portion having a transport surface for transporting the transported object, and a transport surface portion formed with suction holes for sucking the transported object on the transport surface;
Suction means for sucking from the back surface side of the transport surface of the transport surface portion,
A conveying step of conveying the object to be conveyed by the conveying means;
And a suction control step of controlling a suction force by suction by the suction means based on a positional relationship between the object to be transported and the suction hole. A recording apparatus for conveying a recording medium and recording on the recording medium,
A conveyance surface portion having a conveyance surface for conveying a recording medium, and having a suction hole for sucking the recording medium on the conveyance surface;
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium on the conveying surface;
Suction means for sucking from the back side of the transport surface of the transport surface portion;
Suction control means for controlling the suction force by the suction means based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the suction holes;
And a recording unit configured to perform recording on the recording medium transported on the transport surface. A transport recording method for transporting a recording medium by a recording apparatus and performing recording on the recording medium,
The recording device comprises:
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
A conveyance surface portion having a conveyance surface for conveying the recording medium, and having a suction hole for sucking the object to be conveyed on the conveyance surface;
Suction means for sucking from the back surface side of the transport surface of the transport surface portion,
A conveying step of conveying the recording medium by the conveying means;
A suction control step for controlling the suction force by the suction means based on the positional relationship between the recording medium and the suction hole;
And a step of performing recording on the recording medium to be transported.

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